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RSU 40/MSAD 40: district enrollment dips slightly; chronic absenteeism remains above state average
Summary
District officials reported a year-over-year decline in attending counts and highlighted persistent chronic absenteeism above the state average; the district is working with a county attendance consultant and rolling out an attendance tracker and communications plan.
RSU 40/MSAD 40 officials told the school board on Dec. 4 that Oct. 1 enrollment is finalized and that overall attending counts are down slightly from a year ago, with a districtwide decline of about 22 students.
An administrator summarized the Oct. 1 account and explained how different columns in the packet relate to funding: attending counts are the students physically at school, account-subsidy counts include only students eligible for state subsidy (excluding paid tuition), and equivalent-instruction counts include some homeschool students who attend part-time. "The change at just over 1% or decline of just over 1% is consistent with the information I shared with you during the budget process," the administrator said.
The meeting focused heavily on chronic absenteeism. The administrator reminded the board that "chronically absent students are students who missed 10% or more" of the school year, approximately 17 days, and warned that missing that threshold can begin to affect learning. The district reported being above the state average on chronic absenteeism; the administrator cited statewide comparisons showing a state average around 25%, Lincoln County just over 33%, and Knox County about 28%.
Board members and staff described steps the district is taking. The administrator said the district is working with Jess Anderson from County End (county-level attendance support), and that Anderson helped develop a district communications plan and an "attendance tracker." "She'll meet with us again in January," the administrator said. The district also expects a district data tool to include absenteeism information when it becomes available.
At the meeting one board member described an approach heard at the MSMA conference where a district used a mascot to send monthly letters home and personalized outreach at key grades to encourage attendance. The member said the program began with only a couple of grade levels and grew from a generic letter to personalized messages; the member offered to share notes from the conference.
Next steps: the district will continue work with the county consultant and roll out communications and data tools; the consultant is scheduled to meet with district staff in January. The board invited questions and said it will monitor progress as additional data and tools come online.
